Solo ride from home over to the Thompson's house for Earl Guy's retirement party. It was in the afternoon, I left home a little before 3:30. As soon as I got on the road, I figured I needed to hustle to make it there by 4:30, so I rode hard, going the I-15 route to Centre City Pkwy, taking it to Mission Rd. When I turned here, I was riding into the wind, and it was a chore, particularly the section up to Nordahl Rd. I headed over Barham Dr to Twin Oaks Valley Pkwy. It's a little bit of a climb up to S Village Dr, not as bad as I thought it would be. Then I turned on Bella Vita Way, going through the security gate and hitting a truly steep section. It only lasts <0.1 mi, but it is brutal. After that section, the steepness of the climb becomes manageable, still pretty steep and really steep in sections. As I came around the final turn before the second gate, it got incredibly steep again, probably around 20% grade. I was doing everything I could to pedal up, pushing so hard that my front wheel was coming off the ground and I was having trouble keeping control of my bike. I finally had to stop just before the gate, and I walked up my bike up the last 20' or so, after resting enough so I could breathe normally again. The gate didn't trigger, so I had to lift my bike over the fence and climb over the gate. After that, it was pretty easy to finish the ride off. This climb easily has two of the steepest sections I have ever ridden in my life, the second one so steep I couldn't quite finish it. Maybe another time!
Avg speed = 14.0 mph. Total mileage = 13.9 mi
Avg heartrate = 158 bpm
Total elevation gain = 920'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/97046499/
